LM23 RATING: Definitely going to the movies
It’s been 22 years since the first Matrix movie dropped and blew the minds of people who had never seen such innovative special effects and fight sequences patterned after Chinese style Kung Fu fighting. If anyone grew up on Chinese movies, the ballet-like gravity defying fighting is pretty been there, done that. But, never by the surfer bro actor (at the time), Keanu Reeves. Keanu had quite the run in the 90’s. He was in Point Break, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Speed, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Devil’s Advocate, and finally as Y2K approached, The Matrix. Only Keanu can play a regular guy who can suddenly start shooting guns like a true killer assassin.
I went to the movies to see The Matrix, but I don’t remember much except my friends and I were late as we had trouble finding parking, and the movie had already started. And there was a moment in the film when Neo (Keanu Reeves) said “Whoa” and everyone in the theatre started laughing including myself. I thought the movie was okay. I liked the fight scenes, but since I’ve always had a bit of apprehension towards science fiction, the more sci-fi parts of The Matrix turned me off.
There’s something about being in an alternate reality that bothers me. It’s like watching black and white movies at night. I cannot watch black and white movies or really old movies before bed. There’s something about the feeling of being trapped in time or a time that doesn’t exist that frightens me. In sci-fi, you’re either in a year that’s inconceivable because it’s thousands of years ahead or you’re in a year that you can’t quite put your finger on. As far as I’m concerned, sci-fi movies don’t properly follow Aristotle’s storytelling framework because the stories are not anchored in a realistic timeframe. But I’ve digressed.
The last Matrix film, The Matrix Revolutions was released in 2003. As the Matrix film rely heavily on dazzling special effects, The Matrix Resurrections will no doubt have a huge leg up on the first trio of films because it’s being made now versus 20 years ago. So here we go with premiere of The Matrix Resurrections . The trailer opens with Neo partaking in a very normal thing to do in 2021, or, I don’t know what year they’re in but whatever year they’re in, seeing a therapist is more of a modern day acceptance. And of course the therapist is Dr. Doogie Howser or I mean, a doctor played by Neil Patrick Harris. Already we know something is not alright.
And so the modern day sounding old school rock song begins. It sounds like a remake or throwback. I had to Google the song and realized that it’s in fact a real song. The song, “White Rabbit” (natch) was released in 1967 and it was recorded by American rock band, Jefferson Airplane. It’s catchy but not too catchy. This is The Matrix Resurrections. The song can’t be the highlight of the trailer.
The trailer follows Neo from the office of his therapist and into his current life. He seems to have time to take a relaxing bath with a rubber ducky toy sitting on his head. As an aside, sometimes when I’m in my boring office job meetings and working from home, I’ll put one of my beloved stuffed animals on my head because I’m so over it. I’ve digressed again…Neo also seems to have crossed paths with Trinity who asks him if they have met. He looks at her knowingly, but she doesn’t seems to know him. In the trailer, Neo takes the blue pill, which he seems to have many of in his possession. Mr. Anderson seems to be laying low by living an average Joe life thanks to the influence of the blue pills. But he senses something is not all right and it’s time to fly.
Neo takes the red pill from a mysterious man who seems like a younger version of Morpheus, and so what we’ve all been waiting for in the trailer begins. The violent scenes begin with shooting and punching and endless supply of ammunition being unloaded. There’s explosions and glass breaking and the action then starts to crescendo as bullets and people fly through the air including a new character who first invites Neo back into, I guess, The Matrix. We catch glimpses of signature Matrix moves and effects like bullets being suspended in the air, multiple copies of a person being split apart like a human reverberation, and shooting of high powered guns while performing acrobatics. The Matrix Resurrections is taking every advantage of the technology available in this day and age. And as another therapist announces to Neo at the end of the trailer, we’re going back to where it all started, back to the Matrix.
If The Matrix Resurrections wasn’t part of the Matrix series and it didn’t bring with it all of this history, I don’t think I would be as in a rush to see this movie. If I see this trailer versus say The Avengers: Endgame, I would choose that red pill over the blue pill of The Matrix Resurrections. There’s really no signs of a new plot line or even a new adversary. It’s as if this is a remake of all the Matrix movies combined or at least a reboot of the first Matrix film. In short, I don’t think there is anything net new story wise that can be found in this trailer.
But what can be found is definitely a 2021 version of The Matrix. You can guarantee the fight scenes and action will have all upgraded from the 1999 version. Just look at The Fast & Furious franchise. Does the first F&F movie even compare to F9? No way! Cars were already flying in F7. I can only imagine what’s going to go down in The Matrix Resurrections. And it’s even more of a feat that both Keanu Reeves and Carrie Ann Moss look like they have only aged 5 years since the first Matrix. Although story wise I’m not certain what to make of this new installment, I do know I need to see what director and writer Lana Wachowski has up her sleeve and what Neo and Trinity and the new crew will get up to as soon as the movie is released on December 22.
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